Bible: articles and tips | FAIR

by Autumn Dickson

Daniel and his friends were taken out of Jerusalem after Babylon attacked and won. They were among the “desirable youth” who were trained in Babylonian language, culture, and law. I’m sure there was a lot of pressure to assimilate completely into this other nation, but Daniel and his friends wanted to keep their faith.

While still young, these boys were faced with a dilemma. They had been offered the richest, most luxurious food in the nation, food from the king’s own table. Unfortunately, this food had likely been offered to pagan gods first and had not been prepared according to the Law of Moses. The food was spiritually unclean.

Daniel 1:8 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.

We know the rest of the story. Daniel asks the chief official if he and his friends can eat vegetables and water. The chief official is nervous that he will get in trouble if the boys look unhealthy. Daniel proposes an experiment. The chief official agrees. At the end of the experiment, Daniel and his friends appear healthier than the other boys.

Daniel and his friends go on to do incredible things. The Lord blesses them with exceptional knowledge and skill. Daniel interprets dreams. Daniel becomes very respected in Babylon to the extent that others try to kill him to get him out of the way because they’re jealous. This original action set the tone for their lives when they would be faced with death or compromise.

The principle I want to cover in this post holds implications for all of the tests these boys face in Babylonian court. There are a lot of tests, but let’s just talk about this first, simple one.

Their home had just been conquered by the Babylonians. They were foreign exiles. Their status was not particularly impressive. The king could have just as easily thrown them all into slavery instead of feeding them and teaching them. These boys had no parental support but each other. The bible suggests that these were the only boys who chose to keep the Law of Moses. Despite the fact that Daniel and his friends were among other Israelites, only Daniel and his friends are the ones who follow the Lord’s law of health. I wonder if the other Israelite boys were angry with Daniel and his friends. I wonder if the other boys were worried that they would also get in trouble for Daniel’s disobedience to the king. I wonder if they chastised Daniel and his friends for putting them all in danger. I wonder if they mocked Daniel and his friends for following the Law of Moses.

In other words, there were a lot of good (by the world’s standards) reasons to just eat the king’s food that was given to them. Things could be much worse, and they could make things worse should they rock the boat and draw disobedient attention to themselves. There are a lot of reasons that Daniel and his friends could have folded under pressure and fully assimilated.

So I want you to imagine that Daniel and his friends decided to just eat the food they were given. Perhaps they originally intended to keep the Law of Moses, but they folded when the true test presented itself. They didn’t want to cause trouble or harm others. They make a decision to just partake of the king’s food.

Daniel and his friends assimilate with the other Israelite boys.

Now, it is very likely that these other Israelite boys went on to work in the king’s service. They were probably given mid-level positions within Babylon and went on to be “just fine.” They never rose to the prominence of Daniel, but they were likely okay. They just lived in Babylon the rest of their lives.

So let’s say Daniel and his friends followed their examples. They go on to hold mid-level positions in Babylon. They get married and develop relationships with people around them. They grow up being “normal.”

I want you to imagine Daniel growing to a much older age and finding himself deeply grateful that he had never rocked the boat.

This is the scary part: Daniel went on to surmise that things would have gotten ugly had he refused the king’s food. He assumes that things would have gone poorly, and he’s so very lucky to have just kept quiet and ended up in the normal, respectable position that he ended up with.

Perhaps Daniel would have been fine, but Daniel also would have missed the miracle entirely. How sad to miss a miracle.

And that’s why it’s so scary. You don’t know what you would have missed if you chose a direction away from God.

Perhaps Daniel would have been fine, but I have a sneaking suspicion. Let’s say the Lord comes to Daniel in a dream and shows him the two paths that lay before him: eat the king’s food and be fine or refuse it and eventually rise to prominence despite dire opposition.

What path do you think Daniel would have taken? What path would you take if you were in Daniel’s shoes?

I have a feeling that Daniel would have chosen to keep the Law of Moses. At the end of his true road where he followed his faith, I’m sure Daniel reviewed his life and found deep gratitude that he had stayed true to the Lord all that time. He was likely so grateful to have been protected and enabled to live his religion. He saw where the others ended up, and they didn’t end up in bad places, but Daniel was given these incredible spiritual gifts and journeys that he would have missed if he had abandoned his faith.

Perhaps you find yourself at your own crossroads. Do you stay true to the Lord and your covenants or do you take a path that seems less dangerous or difficult? I can promise you that no matter which road you take, you will find difficulty and opposition. You will also likely find beauty no matter which road you take. The Lord maketh the rain to fall on the good and the wicked. Those other boys didn’t necessarily go on to live traumatic, terrible lives.

But I can promise you this. There is more. There is more that the Lord wants to give you. That doesn’t mean there won’t be difficulty. Daniel still got thrown in a lion’s den, and he got thrown in a lion’s den BECAUSE he was praying. I’m not saying that you’re suddenly going to become perfectly healthy and rise to prominence. I do promise that the Lord has more though. He has a plan for you, and if you could see it, I know you would choose His plan over your own.

I testify that the Lord knows where we’re at and wants to bless us. I testify that some of the most significant blessings are those that are quieter and harder to see. I testify that that He has plans for us, big plans, and I testify that He wants to lead us along. I testify that obedience to the Lord brings blessings even if they were not the blessings you were picturing.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Daniel 1–7 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

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Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah. She was the 2023 recipient of the John Taylor Defender of the Faith award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Daniel 1–7 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

by Autumn Dickson

The chapters that we read from in the book of Daniel this week tell some awesome stories. Babylon had attacked Jerusalem and taken many noble exiles.

Daniel 1:3-4, 6

3 And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king’s seed, and of the princes;

4 Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.

6 Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah:

Jerusalem has been besieged and delivered into Babylon’s hands. The king talks to his master of eunuchs and in accordance with standard, ancient imperial policy, wants the desirable youth of the nobles to be taken away into Babylon. Amongst these exiles, we find Daniel and three of his friends.

These boys, whom scholars believe were around 16 or 17, were taken from their families, homes, and religion. They would be mentored and raised by people with a completely different culture and faith, a people that had just attacked your own people. They would be raised by the enemies of the Jews.

I want you to think about what this would look like in your own life. I want you to understand what this story looked like and because I live in America, that’s what I’m going with. Feel free to put in another nation that you live in.

America has just been attacked and defeated by a foreign country. We have lost the battle to invaders who waged war on our own land. They came and attacked us, and we lost to them. They start to take precious things from all sorts of religious places, including the temple, but the violation doesn’t stop there.

They start to take the teenagers. They take your teenager from your home, put him on a train, then a boat, and then send them off to this foreign country to be assimilated into a foreign culture, the same foreign culture that just violated your home.

Now imagine being that teenager. You yell goodbye to your crying mother who is being restrained by a guard. You see your father incapable of doing anything about the situation. Overnight, you’re taken from your family and put into a completely different environment. You’re in this new place with all sorts of trauma and longing and mourning. You’re likely never going to see your family again.

Would you follow the Word of Wisdom? Would you worship according to the Law of Moses? Would you stay true to the God of Israel?

Let’s not even talk about the fact that some of our youth have a difficult time following all the commandments at home. Let’s not even talk about the fact that they won’t have parents to support them to stand up for their beliefs. Let’s not even talk about the fact that it would have been easy for Daniel to abandon his beliefs because according to the world’s standards, the God of Israel had just been defeated.

Let’s talk about the fact that you could be mad at God for taking you away from your family. I want to talk about this specific possibility on purpose because I have seen this specific kind of situation occur frequently in our day. Sometimes when families are complicated and messy and separated, we choose to be mad at God. When we’re afraid of what our family will look like on the other side, we lash out and assume that it all must be false. Surely if the God of Israel were real, He would have prevented these things.

I wonder if Daniel ever felt that way. I wonder if he ever had doubts about whether God was real after he was taken from his family and put in a pagan court. I wonder if he was mad at God.

And as long as we’re talking about Daniel, let’s follow this next train of thought.

Do you think Daniel would have done better if he had abandoned God because he was mad? No. Because he stayed close to God, he flourished even in a negative environment. Sometimes, negative experiences need to happen. The Lord, in His infinite wisdom, allows these negative experiences to happen. Could He choose to stop them? Yes. Is He going to? No. He has bigger plans than that.

So negative things are going to happen. We then get to choose how we’re going to respond. Like Daniel, your life will not get better if you abandon God. Perhaps things feel lighter for a moment, but you cannot reach the highest levels of joy without Him. It is simply impossible. There is more to be had than anything the world can offer. We can’t imagine what the Lord has prepared for us.

And in the meantime, He will carry you.

There is a future promised restoration. There are glorious promises about future happiness and joy and purpose. However, there is also a surreal kind of peace right now when you have a relationship with a Being who loves you, knows exactly where you are, and is all powerful. Daniel was taken away from so many things that he loved, but Daniel wasn’t alone. When you know Him, you know what I’m talking about. The companionship of the Lord meant that Daniel wasn’t devastated even as he faced devastating circumstances.

If Daniel had left God behind him, he would have still been in Babylonian court. He would have still been separated from his family. He would have been present under a volatile king who liked to kill people who displeased him. I suppose there would have been some things that would feel easier. I’m sure there would have been moments when it would have felt easier to assimilate, but because of my own personal experiences, I know that life feels so much easier and meaningful and peaceful when I choose to follow God under any circumstances.

I testify that the Lord knows where you are. He knows where your family is. I testify that following Him, even in the face of doubt and devastation, will lighten your load. I testify that it brings meaning to pain and light to darkness.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Daniel 1–7 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

by Autumn Dickson

Let us tell the story of Ezekiel.

Ezekiel 1:1 Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.

Ezekiel was 30 years old, far from the land of his fathers, and standing beside a man-made canal amongst other exiles. As he stood there, a magnificent vision opened up to him. He saw incredible things with dramatic symbolism. He received his call to be a prophet. Throughout the record of Ezekiel, he had five more visions (depending on whether you count the first three as separate). He received his call as prophet during an apostasy.

If things had been as they should be, Ezekiel’s life would have looked a little different. He would have been starting his temple service as a priest. Under the Law of Moses, priests officially started their ministry at age 30. He would have taught the law, made sacrifices, and worshiped with rituals if he had not been deported.

Ezekiel could not participate as he likely wanted to. He couldn’t go to the temple. He couldn’t perform his calling. He was almost completely separated from his religion other than the apostasized individuals around him. This is really difficult to imagine in a world where we have the entirety of our doctrine available on a mobile phone. It’s hard to understand what Ezekiel was facing when he was cut off.

Ezekiel was surrounded by people who still kept some of their religious practices intact, but there were some aspects of their faith that were impossible to perform such as temple rituals. These people also practiced their religion with mixed influences from Babylon, and they practiced it without their hearts. They didn’t truly love God or want to repent and seek a true relationship with him.

Though some of the Law of Moses remained, Ezekiel was largely surrounded by apostasy. And yet, despite the fact that he was surrounded by apostasy, Ezekiel had access to God. In fact, Ezekiel had tremendous access to God.

There are many principles we can take from this; let’s talk about one of them.

I wonder if Ezekiel would have had the same visions if the people had been righteous and remained in Jerusalem. If everyone had been doing what they were supposed to, would Ezekiel have started his temple ministry and been completely ordinary? Would he have had a record in the bible? Would he have received visions?

We have absolutely no idea. Perhaps Ezekiel would have been called as a prophet anyway or perhaps he would have simply served alongside Jeremiah. There is no way we could tell, but I bring it up to teach a specific principle.

I have learned that God often gives according to what is needed rather than giving us what we want. He doesn’t often speak up unless it’s necessary. Ezekiel didn’t have the temple or records. He didn’t have the internet or access to General Conference talks. He didn’t have a bishop or stake president or Church Handbook. Ezekiel had only God, and God needed to share some tremendous things with him.

Let’s look at this on a smaller scale since a grand majority of us won’t find ourselves called as a prophet or in an area-specific apostasy.

Our first move to the east coast was…chaotic. I had felt so strongly that we needed to go, but Conner didn’t. He had just experienced tremendous tragedy in his life. Things that were super important to him were taken away. He was totally adrift. Our move happened really fast, and we ended up staying in a hotel for three months. Every day, Conner would come home and desperately want to go back west. We were bleeding money living in the hotel, and there was absolutely no logical reason to stay where we were. It didn’t make any sense.

And yet, I woke up almost every morning with this rock-solid feeling that we were exactly where we needed to be. I still had plenty of fear about how things would play out, but I knew we were exactly where we were supposed to be. When I found myself in utter chaos in the hotel, I felt patience. When Conner came home depressed and worried, I felt the Lord’s strength helping me hold on.

Our second move to Virginia has been quite different. There were some miracles involved in getting this house, but I don’t have those rock-solid feelings all the time like I did the first time around. Sometimes I get small assurances when I’m really losing my mind, but I feel much more chaotic and “driven like chaff before the wind” than I did the first time. Which is honestly ironic since we were living in a hotel the first time.

Anyway, my feelings are not as strong this time around. But guess what? We also can’t leave this time around. We literally can’t. It’s not possible. I suppose we could sell the house and make the ridiculous trek back, but it doesn’t make logical sense. It would be an immense undertaking, and we would be returning to nothing. Conner’s work is here.

In other words, God doesn’t need to be carrying me like He did the first time. He doesn’t need to keep that rock solid feeling there because it doesn’t make sense to go back anyway. God often chooses to not engage or directly speak when He doesn’t have to. This preserves faith, and it gives us a chance to trust. It’s not that He’s gone. He’s just giving us plenty of space to grow and become wise and believe in His goodness and awareness.

I had a friend ask me to pray for her the other day. I told her to make sure that she’s praying too because God might be trying to say something. She responded by telling me that she has been trying to figure out what He wants for months. It occurred to me that He very likely wasn’t saying anything at all because He didn’t need to. She felt worried. Her situation was difficult, but He didn’t need to direct her to do anything specific yet.

Why does this matter?

For me, it brings great comfort. I don’t have to sit around in fear worried that I’m missing something. I don’t have to wonder why some people get dreams and visions. I don’t have to worry that God loves His other children more or that I’m not as righteous as them. I don’t have to be scared that He’s washed His hands of me.

No. God gives according to our needs. He is just as involved in my life as He was the first time I went to Virginia. He gave Ezekiel visions because Ezekiel had nothing. I have ridiculous numbers of visions to read about in the palm of my hand. I don’t need them, and He doesn’t give them for fun. I can be just as righteous. I can be just as close to Him. I can trust Him to speak to me and reach me when He needs to, and I can claim confidence as I move forward in life. I know He will intervene as necessary.

I testify that the Lord is involved in your life. I testify that He chooses to communicate with us wisely. I testify that if He wants to reach you, He can reach you. If you’re actively seeking His will, you don’t have to be afraid that you’re missing something. I testify that a lack of visions or dreams doesn’t mean He loves you less. He sent you here at this time, with access to everything. You have so much access to His words, and He will speak to you through the words He has already given as necessary. He loves you. He is involved.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Ezekiel 1–3; 33–34; 36–37; 47 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah. She was the 2023 recipient of the John Taylor Defender of the Faith award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Ezekiel 1–3; 33–34; 36–37; 47 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

by Autumn Dickson

Just to give some context on where we’re at in the biblical timeline here…we just finished reading in Jeremiah and Lamentations where Babylon attacked during King Zedekiah’s reign. Babylon emptied Jerusalem and set it on fire at this point in the timeline.

Before that, Babylon had attacked Jerusalem earlier. The Babylonians won and took a bunch of Jerusalem’s elite into Babylon; we will be reading about one of these exiles, Daniel, in the future. He followed the Law of Moses instead of eating the King’s food. Babylon put King Zedekiah in as a puppet king.

Ezekiel was called as a prophet to the first wave of exiles. We have gone back in time before everything we just read about Jeremiah.

Ezekiel’s mission was going to be arduous and unfruitful. He was called to preach to hard-hearted people that were not going to repent, and he was warned of how hard his mission would be.

Chapter 33 really expounds on the principle of a watchman. Ezekiel has been called to be a watchman on the tower. He is placed up high where he can see afar off, and it is his job to see the enemy coming and warn everyone down below that can’t see. If the watchman doesn’t warn the people, their blood is on his hands. He didn’t do his job. They weren’t able to prepare.

On the flip side, there is personal accountability as well. If you ignore the watchman sounding the alarm, then you have no one to blame but yourself.

There are some really beautiful literary elements that we read here.

Ezekiel 33:10-11

10 Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel; Thus ye speak, saying, If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live?

11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

In other words, the Lord tells Ezekiel that the people are going to say, “We are rotting away because our sins and transgressions are upon us. How can we live?” The Lord then tells Ezekiel to respond, “I don’t want you to die. I don’t like it so do something about it! Turn away from evil. Why do you insist on dying?”

I think it can be easy to de-personalize God sometimes. It’s easy to not jump into the meat of what He’s trying to express to us and His people. It’s easy to not feel the gravity. It’s easy to pass over and not hear the pleading of a tender parent.

The analogy of the watchman can help us better understand what the Lord (and consequently, Ezekiel) are feeling.

Place yourself in the story. There are city walls, and you are placed upon a great tower so that you can see far into the distance. Everyone knows there is an enemy that lies in wait to attack, and so a beautiful system is set up in which everyone can be warned of impending trouble. The people continue on in their lives without having to worry about a surprise attack. The watchman is there and will warn them.

Imagine being the watchman. You look out one day to see a mass army coming towards the city. They are armed and prepared and on their way. You sound the alarm. You are ringing a giant bell (or however the warning system worked) over and over and over to alert everyone. You want every single person in the city to hear and know what is coming.

You finally stop ringing the bell, and you look down, confident that the people will be springing into action to avoid the coming bloodbath. You are taken aback to find people going about their day as if there is no enemy approaching. You try to ring the bell a couple more times, but still, there is no response. You climb down the tower and start trying to talk to people directly. Maybe they don’t remember what the bell is for. Maybe you just need to remind them. Maybe they don’t understand that there really is an army headed their way. Maybe they think you were just overreacting to an odd shadow on the horizon.

You start yelling to the crowds around you, “There is an army coming. They’re armed and prepared. They want to conquer and take you as slaves. They will be here.”

Some people ignore you completely. It’s as if they can’t hear you. Some people have the gall to get angry at you for interrupting their day.

Why won’t anyone listen? Do they want to die? Surely they care enough to not let their children die, right?

Wrong. They’re not listening.

Now let’s take a step back from being in the story. There is plenty of emotion here, but why does it matter to us? We feel for Ezekiel and what he has been called to do. We feel for the Lord and all that He’s done for His children, only to watch them reject Him and then call Him unfair. We see the love that was involved in this process of trying to reach people who didn’t want to listen.

But what does this story teach us? What do we need to learn?

I suppose that depends on whether you’re the watchman or the citizen.

If you are the watchman, there is value in loving the citizens. There is value in calling out to them even when they refuse to listen. It brings you closer to God. It helps you understand Him as you practice doing His work. If you are the citizen, the Lord is reaching out constantly. He doesn’t want you to die, but He will not vaporize enemies and put you in a bubble. The point of mortality was to come here and grow in wisdom. You can’t learn those lessons in a bubble. Please listen to Him and the warnings of His watchmen.

I testify that the Lord is ever reaching out. The battle with evil is very real to Him. He is feeling all the feelings because He loves us. His omnipotence does not get rid of those feelings. His wisdom does not make Him cold. We are His purpose. I testify that listening to His counsels are a gift.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Ezekiel 1–3; 33–34; 36–37; 47 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

by Autumn Dickson

One of the books we study this week is called Lamentations, and there is a really good reason it is called Lamentations. Jeremiah was a prophet who had pleaded with the people to repent. He pleaded with King Zedekiah to listen, but Zedekiah refused. Jerusalem was surrounded and sieged. The fall of Judah was…awful. It was known as one of the worst sieges and disasters in ancient history. It was brutal even by the standards of the ancient Near East. There is evidence of the horror from biblical text as well as Babylonian records.

Some survivors described it as worse than what happened to Sodom. Some believe that the victims who died by the sword were more blessed than those who were left to rot away in the city that was under siege. There was no food or water. The dead were piled up in the streets, and there was no escape. Not to be irreverent, but cannibalism is even recorded. I share that with the sole purpose of highlighting the devastation.

You were stuck in a city that was dying, not sure if what awaited you outside the walls was any better than what you found within. When the walls were finally breached, there was prolific assault. People were taken from their homes and banished away. Only the most desperate poor were left within the city. The city and temple were burned. The trauma lasted for generations.

What a horrible time to be called as prophet. I can’t imagine being asked to plead with people to repent, learning to love them as I served them, and then having to bear witness of their fall. We read Jeremiah’s record, but Lamentations is also believed to be written by Jeremiah.

Lamentations is not strictly a history; it is a collection of Hebrew poetry. Hebrew poetry has a couple of defined characteristics that help us better understand what the poet is trying to express. The first couple chapters are called acrostics. Each verse goes in the order of the alphabet. So in English, this would look like the first letter starting with “A,” the second verse starting with “B,” and so on and so forth. This helped people remember the poems better.

Acrostics also had cultural significance. In the case of Lamentations, Jeremiah’s sorrow was so profound over watching Jerusalem fall that acrostics symbolized the complete and total devastation he was experiencing. You go through the entirety of the alphabet; you go through the entirety of desolation.

Chapter 3 is a triple acrostic. It goes through each letter three times.

Chapter 3 is also significant because of a phenomenon known as chiasmus. You say something in the beginning, your most important highlighted point is found in the middle, and then you repeat what you said in the beginning backwards. The pattern is: ABC – pinnacle – CBA. In English, you often find the point at the end of the story or poem. This is not the case in Hebrew poetry.

The entire book of Lamentations also utilizes chiasmus, and chapter 3 is the pinnacle. Then you have chapter 3 as an individual chapter; it also has a mini chiasmus within the big chiasmus that is Lamentations.

In other words, chapter 3 in Lamentations is a big deal. It is the pinnacle of Lamentations as a whole. It has its own chiasmus, and it is a triple acrostic. In other words, according to Hebrew poetry, Jeremiah has something important to say.

So what did Jeremiah say in this pinnacle of pinnacles? What do we find at the center of the chapter that is the center of the book?

What would be your center point if you were Jeremiah? What would you choose to record for future generations? What would you share?

Chapter 3 in Lamentations begins and ends with the pain and devastation that Jeremiah is experiencing over Jerusalem being destroyed. This is understandable. I’m sure Lamentations was part of how Jeremiah processed some of the trauma that was occurring before his own eyes, a trauma that he had tried to prevent. I wonder if Jeremiah ever felt like he had failed.

And yet, despite everything that Jeremiah must have been feeling, he didn’t put pain in the middle. I will share a couple of the verses at the center.

Lamentations 3:21-23

21 This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.

22 It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

Against all odds, Jeremiah shares a message of hope and eternal persistence in reaching out to the House of Israel. The verses continue on for a little while before becoming somber again.

Jeremiah had listened to the Lord and been thrown into prison for it. He had been forewarned about what Jerusalem faced. He had glimmers of hope where Zedekiah sought him out, but never actually ended up listening to Jeremiah. Then, as declared by the Lord, Jeremiah had to watch what happened in Jerusalem.

What devastation are you facing? What are you putting at the center of your life? What are you focusing on? It is okay to see the devastation and work to process it. It is okay to be heartbroken and torn apart and mourn. Jeremiah did this on both sides. But what are you putting at the center of it all?

I testify that putting Christ and His promises at the center of everything will bring hope even in the darkest of times. Jeremiah was sent to the earth at a painful time, but the promise of the Messiah was a light. He believed it enough to sacrifice everything, and those cries of hope at the center of his grief and trauma are evidence of that belief. Christ is what enabled him to be okay in the end, and I testify that Christ can carry you through whatever devastation you are witnessing or carrying.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Jeremiah 31–33; 36–39; Lamentations 1; 3 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah. She was the 2023 recipient of the John Taylor Defender of the Faith award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Jeremiah 31–33; 36–39; Lamentations 1; 3 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

by Autumn Dickson

Jeremiah was the prophet at a time when the Jews were to be conquered by Babylon. He was called to be a prophet and cry repentance. He was to warn the Jews about what was coming, and he also gave messages of hope. The Jews would one day be restored to the land.

The Lord also gives Jeremiah a peculiar object lesson.

Babylon had already started to take over the land of the Jews and were making a siege against Jerusalem. Then this happens.

Jeremiah 32:6-7

6 And Jeremiah said, The word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

7 Behold, Hanameel the son of Shallum thine uncle shall come unto thee, saying, Buy thee my field that is in Anathoth: for the right of redemption is thine to buy it.

Jeremiah has prophesied that Jerusalem would fall. He, more than anyone, knew that Jerusalem would not prevail. He, more than anyone, knew the land was worthless.

Let it also be known that Babylon had already taken over Anathoth. They had not yet conquered Jerusalem completely, but they had conquered Anathoth. Jeremiah’s uncle comes, and he’s like, “Jeremiah, buy this land that isn’t really mine anymore.”

And yet, the Lord tells Jeremiah to buy the land. Jeremiah does so. He pays 17 shekels for it. It is recorded and done with witnesses. Despite the fact that Jeremiah is in prison for prophesying the destruction of Jerusalem, he buys the worthless piece of land.

Perhaps the Lord sent Hanameel to Jeremiah because the Lord knew that Hanameel was going to need the 17 shekels. Perhaps it was because the Lord also wanted to teach a significant lesson.

Let’s talk about poignant details.

In Israelite tradition, all of the land belonged to God. It was divided up as inheritances to families, but it truly all belonged to God. When you ran up debts or needed money, you had to sell the land to your family first. If that didn’t work, you would lease that land to others but then the land would be restored to the family clan during the year of Jubilee. Bottom line: the land actually already belonged to God.

Because of wickedness, that land was taken over by the enemy.

And though the land prices had plummeted, silver stayed precious. Silver was the currency in Babylon as well. While everything else in the economy had gone nuts, silver retained its inherent value. There is archeological evidence of people hoarding silver during turbulent times. Silver stayed precious. The land was worth nothing.

But Jeremiah bought the worthless land with his precious silver.

This was meant to be a radical act of faith. It was supposed to be this object lesson that the Jews would return one day. Everything seemed hopeless, and for a time, things were hopeless. However, it would not remain that way. It’s an object lesson and it’s the traditional lesson that we pull from this story.

But I think it goes deeper than that.

Like the land, we already belong to God. We came from Him. We are His spirit children. We are here because He brought us here.

Because of sin, we found ourselves captured and conquered and separated from loved ones. We had our inheritance taken away from us. The enemy prevailed.

Our Brother, our family member, had that first “right of redemption.” Jesus Christ had the right to redeem and keep us in the family.

Despite the fact that we are largely worthless, He used His precious blood to pay for us. He bought us. Jeremiah paid for the land with 17 shekels. The number 17 means “overcoming the enemy” in the bible.

Christ has already paid the price, and the land is bought. Unfortunately, we are still a part of Babylon for a while until everything is restored. We don’t bring much value yet, but like this land, we were bought on the hope of redemption. Christ paid for us with deep hope that we would be restored to Him.

The scriptures are just really awesome, ya know?

The more I study these stories, the more I see Jesus Christ. There are many good principles that we pull from these stories. There are principles of wisdom and charity and forgiveness and mercy and justice and hope and so on and so forth. There are many principles that can lead us towards good lives.

But I keep finding Christ in these stories. He is everywhere. His victory is taught in all of the details of these stories. I love finding Him again and again and again.

Perhaps those who recorded the words in the bible did not fully understand what they were writing about, but I testify that the Lord did. He knew what He was doing when He asked Jeremiah to buy a worthless piece of land. He knew that we needed to learn good principles to help us build happy lives, but more importantly, He knew we needed to know what He did for us in order to find happiness and peace. I testify that He bought us, as worthless and conquered as we were. I testify that He bought us based on the simple hope that we would one day be restored to the family because of how much He loves us.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Jeremiah 31–33; 36–39; Lamentations 1; 3 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah. She was the 2023 recipient of the John Taylor Defender of the Faith award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Jeremiah 1–3; 7; 16–18; 20 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.